Uncharted
by J. B. Wock
Summary: Percy thought he had seen everything the world could throw at him; from Titans to Giants -not to forget flying pigs!- and in a way he was right. Unfortunately once he's thrown into a whole new universe that doesn't apply any more and he realizes that there is still a lot of uncharted territory that he has to see for himself.
1. Chapter 1: Not in Kansas Anymore

Uncharted

Chapter 1: Not in Kansas Anymore

* * *

_Entry 1: Whose bright idea was it to make the dyslexic kid write a diary again? That's right; Porlyusica. No I do not have anger issues!_

_Well maybe. I blame the bloodthirsty monsters that were after my head during my growing years for my over-aggressiveness. Definitely 'being human' is not the reason, whatever a certain pink haired dimension traveler may tell you. After all I'm not totally human now am I?_

_Wait; does this count as talking to myself? It does doesn't it? If I go mad I'm going to murder Porlyusica.  
_

* * *

At 18 Percy Jackson was considered one of the strongest people- entities- on the planet. He had been at the heart of two major prophecies and their relative wars with deities infinitely more powerful than himself and had not only survived, but had _won_. It was small wonder that monsters no longer had the courage to try to go after him or that in Olympus and throughout his father's realm in the seas he was known as the 'mortal Olympian'.

Right now though he was trying to forget that; for now he was just an ordinary teenager, waiting for a girl to call him. Percy did not have long to wait; Annabeth Chase was a very punctual person and sure enough on the dot of 2 o'clock a rainbow shimmered into existence in front of the son of Poseidon.

"Hello Seaweed Brain." Annabeth greeted cheerfully.

"Hello Annabeth; you're more than…" Percy glanced at his bare wrist "By the gods; 20 seconds late!"

"Ha, ha, bloody ha." Annabeth replied sarcastically.

Percy just grinned at her as he let himself be caught by their routine banter traded back and forth, old jokes and vague references to events long past.

The wars and back to back conflicts had changed Annabeth too- and not as Percy had been. Where Percy had been forged and tempered to come out as stronger something had broken inside of Annabeth. The pressure by her mother during her trials in Rome and the subsequent trip through Tartarus had changed the blonde daughter of Athena permanently. After the war finished she had fled America, shunning her life as a demigod vehemently.

"So have you applied to any colleges?" inquired Annabeth.

With a start Percy came back to the present and considered the question.

"To tell you the truth; I'm still surprised that I made it through high school." He answered dryly "But, no I haven't made any arrangements yet."

"Honestly?" an exasperated Annabeth exclaimed "What have you been doing for the two weeks you have been free then?"

"Oh you know; a bit of this, a bit of that." Percy said carefully.

"Funny; because Thalia was spouting this _ridiculous_ story of you taking up the offer of becoming Ares' sparring buddy. But I don't think that comes under 'a bit of this' does it?"

The spluttering denial and guilty look on Percy's face supplied all the answers Annabeth needed.

"Yes you really need some more excitement and dangers in your life don't you?" Annabeth deadpanned. After a moment though her expression softened "Just be sure to take care of yourself, alright?"

"Are you kidding with me?" Percy exclaimed jokingly "I'm Percy Jackson! Monsters use me to scare their children with! I'll be just fine; you just take care of yourself."

It was of course at that exact moment that Percy decided to collapse. His knees turned to jelly and he fell to the ground. To him it felt like he was falling into Tartarus all over again. The dark was creeping up around him and he could faintly hear Annabeth screaming through the Iris-message. Finally black covered his vision and he fell unconscious.

* * *

"Did somebody get the license of the chariot that ran me over?"

An eight year old girl with brown hair and eyes filled with flames entered Percy's vision; leaning over him.

"At least your current predicament has not dampened your sense of humor." she remarked in a fond tone.

"Aunt Hestia!" Percy cried out in surprise as he tried to sit up. His muscles had other plans however, maintaining the consistency of jelly, and so he stayed lying down on the bed he had woken up in.

"Hello my young hero. I don't know how much time we have so I'll come right out and say it; you've been cursed."

That simple sentence set off alarm bells in Percy's mind. Phrases like 'not much time' and 'you've been cursed' rarely preceded good news.

"Really? How?" Percy asked, his calm tone not betraying his racing mind.

"You've been cursed more times than you know Percy." Hestia informed him gently "Atlas, Hyperion and even Kronos cursed you; however the fact that their imprisoned and our power sheltered you."

Realization dawned on Percy's face. "Gaea." he breathed out.

"Yes." Hestia confirmed nodding her head "You see Gaea is a lot more powerful than any previous enemy of yours and she was merely sent back to her slumber- her power is still unbroken."

Percy was left stunned. "So how bad is it then Doc.?"

Hestia flashed the son of Poseidon a quick smile that seemed almost forlorn. "You've been unconscious for nearly four days Percy. During that time almost everybody- Romans, Greeks, Olympians, your mortal friends and family came to visit."

"So wait; were those like 'deathbed visits'?"

"Not exactly. See you're not going to die; the curse is that of exile. Gaea has, more or less, banished you from this world." Hestia clarified.

"I'm going to be the man on the moon then?" Percy asked.

"You're confusing the meaning of what I'm saying. What Athena thinks is that you'll be banished to an alternate universe." explained the goddess of the hearth.

"Peachy, just peachy." Percy muttered "Can you get me some pen and paper? I need to write down a few things before I'm thrown to Zeus knows where."

Thunder rumbled outside in what was, not that Percy knew it, a cloudless sky.

"Typical" Percy began with a roll of his eyes but the word could not get past his lips. His tongue felt numb and wooden.

Hestia looked on in panic as Percy's body began to glow golden. The light grew brighter and brighter until it reached its apex after which it began to decline, leaving Percy opaque and rapidly disappearing.

"Aunt Hestia!" Percy cried out in panic "It's too soon!"

Hestia herself began to glow, albeit in the light custom of all Olympians as she tried frantically to delay Percy's eminent departure for as long as possible.

"Percy you have to know this." she told him urgently as she grasped the sides of his head "We will find a way to bring you back, whatever it takes, but we have to known that you'll still be there when the time comes."

"What are you-"

"Listen" Hestia interrupted "I told you the Olympians came to visit you while you were unconscious. We couldn't do much with you that way but we did as much as we could. All you have to do is survive."

Percy began to fade in earnest, though to him it looked like the world around him was disappearing rather than the other way around.

"Remember Percy; survive. Survive and come back to us in one piece."

And then he was gone.

* * *

A pink haired elderly woman who went by the name of Porlyusica was sweeping the autumn leaves from her yard when she came across a somewhat peculiar phenomenon. It was a light hanging in midair, a light in the distinct shape of a human being. It didn't faze her too much; she had seen things much odder in her career as a mage of Fairy Tail. The fact that the light was fast coalescing to forming the features of a human being however, did give her some food for thought.

In the end she wisely decided to stand to the side to watch the occurrence from a distance. A good decision seeing as how matters turned out.

A loud shout could be heard faintly, rapidly gaining coherency, and it originated from the light. Soon enough Porlyusica could make out the words.

"Getoutoftheway!" came out the rushed jumble of words.

Porlyusica pursed her lips; humans, as rude as ever.

Thoughts of the discourtesy of the patch of phosphoresce vanished as a person went tumbling out of the aforementioned patch. Porlyusica couldn't get more than a brief look at the person though because he was going pretty fast. Going pretty fast and obscured by a sphere of water which acted as a shield of sorts, a shield that he really needed if how he was bouncing off the trees like a human pinball was any indication.

Finally he hit the ground; sphere and all, digging a trough as the ball scraped along the ground and hit a boulder. The boulder shattered from the impact, which was hard enough to shake the ground.

Suddenly Porlyusica realized something was wrong. The tremors from the impact did not subside, if anything they grew worse. Soon a fully fledged earthquake could be felt; churning the ground like it was the sea during a storm and letting the trees flail about drunkenly. As soon as it came the earthquake went; leaving a startled Porlyusica on the ground and an unconscious young man in a crater in the ground.

* * *

More than a bit surprised Porlyusica got to her feet and hurried over to where the boy was lying in a crater of his own making. He was a tall lad and handsome; with tanned skin and jet black hair. The most surprising thing though was the clothes he was the clothes he was clad in, or more accurately; the lack of thereof.

Whoever the man was, whatever he had been trying to do, Porlyusica doubted that he had intended to end up here as he had.

"Troublesome humans." The pink haired mage grumbled to herself as she hefted the stranger over her shoulder, with surprising ease, and took him indoors for treatment.

Only the fact was when Porlyusica had him laid out and inspected him for injuries there were none to be found. All the cuts, scrapes, bruises and possible broken bones she had expected were simply not there; in fact the only thing that seemed to be wrong with him was the fact that he refused to wake up whatever Porlyusica did. Shrugging the mysterious healing factor off as another odd power to add to the things the boy could do, along with causing earthquakes, the elderly woman went to clean up some of the mess caused by the earthquake.

Taking a breather she went outside to survey the extent of the damage to her house and surrounding forest and when she came back in she found her patient awake. Awake and bored; he was sitting cross legged on the bed drumming his fingers against the headboard.

Porlyusica stared at him until the sound of his fingers irritated her enough to speak out.

"Stop that already!" she barked out.

The boy stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Hello my name is Percy. And I may call you…?"

"Porlyusica." the doctor supplied unwillingly.

"Thank you for taking care of me." Percy continued gratefully. "I would appreciate it if you could tell me where I am right now though."

"It was nothing. There we no injuries to speak of-" abruptly she stopped, realizing that the conversation was not going as she had planned it to go "Hey; don't go changing the topic! Tell me why did you cause the earthquake?"

Percy looked at her blankly "What earthquake? I just want to know where I am!"

"You're in Magnolia, in the land of Fiore in the year X780-" Porlyusica was interrupted by a loud groan from Percy.

"What's wrong with you now?" she asked, patience wearing thin.

Percy looked at her for a few minutes, obviously pondering on whether to trust her with his problem or not. In the end the fact that she had taken him in must have won out because he spoke out;

"Let me introduce myself again; I'm Percy Jackson and I might not exactly hail from this dimension."

* * *

Life certainly had been interesting since Percy had starting lodging with Porlyusica. The young man who professed to know nothing of mages rapidly absorbed knowledge about their world and showed a remarkable capacity for not getting surprised by whatever the pink haired doctor could tell him. When Porlyusica asked him about the lack of surprise he answered cryptically;

"Once you've seen a flying pig very little surprises you anymore."

Percy didn't think Porlyusica took his reply very seriously.

The young dimension traveler did take great pains to keep out of his host's way; disappearing early in the morning and reappearing somewhere in the evening. It was only to be expected really; his ADHD made waiting around and doing nothing an exercise in self torture, so every day he used to go and practice what he did best; fighting. Other times he explored the nearby town and its adjacent lake, but mostly he stuck as close to his place of arrival as possible.

One day his host came to act as a silent audience to his daily exercise. She didn't stay for very long, only taking in his movements; graceful and with sureness born of many years of practice, for a few moments before going back. Later that day when the demigod got back though, she was waiting for him.

"So how long do you plan on freeloading at my house?" Porlyusica asked her other worldly guest.

"Dunno." Percy replied with a shrug.

"How about getting a job?" she suggested "You must have some skills that can earn you money."

Percy shrugged again, this time a tad more uneasily. He didn't want to get involved in anything in this world; he didn't know how long he was going to be staying and he simply wanted to lie back and relax while he was he here. Here was a world with no monsters, Oracles or quests to save the world; chill out? Yes please.

"I can't do much. At best I know how to beat up people and get on other's nerves." Percy answered quite truthfully.

Unfortunately the answer did not deter his host, far from it. Porlyusica adapted a grin almost sinister in nature and replied:

"Perfect; you'll fit right in."

* * *

Makarov stared at the boy Porlyusica had introduced as Percy. She had said that he was the one responsible for the earthquake nearly a week back but the fellow, sitting cross legged on top of a bed with his eyes closed, seemed the very picture of serenity. Secondly; he couldn't detect the lad possessing any magical energy whatsoever.

"Are you sure Porlyusica? It was a full fledged earthquake you know. It would take a very strong mage to pull it off." he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes Makarov I'm sure." his pink haired teammate replied in exasperation.

"No need to be so touchy." Makarov muttered "Any idea why he did it?"

Porlyusica snorted "According to him he didn't mean to do it and 'lost control'."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Lost control and did that? Ouch. Any idea why or how he 'lost control'?"

"He's a dimension traveler Makarov." replied Porlyusica with a sigh. "I think getting thrown into another dimension can make people 'lose control'."

Makarov's second eyebrow rose too. "You mean like you?"

Porlyusica hesitated as she formulated her response. "Not exactly, he's not from Edolas. He says he's from 'New York'."

"Huh." Makariv grunted "Never heard of it. Well might as well go talk to him."

"Go wake him up then."

"Wake him up? I thought he was meditating?" Makarov exclaimed in astonishment.

Porlyusica grunted in amusement. "Meditate? Hardly; the boy's almost as fidgety as that Dragonslayer of yours."

It wasn't a very cheerful comparison; Natsu had caused the most havoc and destruction out of all of Makarov's mages ever since Gildarts had started his latest mission.

"Fantastic. Let's go wake him up shall we?"

Makarov studied the boy as he woke him up. He was a handsome lad, tall with jet black hair and tanned skin. If the mage had met him on the streets though, he wouldn't have given him anything beyond a second glance.

Then he woke up and Makarov had to revise his judgment. He would probably give the boy more than a second look. It wouldn't be because of his height or looks; it would be because of the casual way he held himself that spoke of a readiness to move into action and it would be because of the boy's gaze which, underneath a thin veneer of mischievousness, held an aura of confidence and a promise to deliver disproportionate violence to a threat.

Makarov gave out an inaudible sigh; yet another problem child. Yajima had always said how it was the responsibility of the old to help out the young and Makarov was regretting that duty yet again.

Silently the guild master reached a decision.

* * *

Percy had expected a lot of things when he had been sent to an alternate universe- he had been watching one too many sci-fi movie with Leo recently- maybe a world run by machines, a world with aliens wielding laser guns or if he was really lucky; a world which was completely ordinary. Instead he had been thoroughly disappointed by ebing sent to a world full of mages that was not too dissimilar to his own world.

Right now, deep thoughts aside, he was taking a refreshing nap. It was supposed to be a meditation exercise but unfortunately his brain having only two modes; hyperactive or sleep, had led to him taking a trip to dreamland.

He came back into the consciousness with somebody shaking him gently. It was an old man, short of height, bearing a moustache, an odd striped cap and a goofy grin.

"Hello there. Name's Makarov." he introduced himself while extending a hand.

"Percy, Percy Jackson." Percy replied still a bit drowsy as he shook the old man's hand. His eyebrows rose as his grip was met with one equally as firm.

For a minute both assessed each other. Percy could not make much of the old man; on the outside he seemed relatively harmless, but having a family that could change appearances on will to conceal supernatural powers had left him leery on deducting through appearances. For now, going by battle-honed paranoia, the old man was somebody to keep an eye on.

Makarov had reached his own verdict while Percy had been assessing him and this spoke up first.

"How would you like to join my guild; Fairy Tail?"

The sudden offer threw Percy for a loop momentarily. He had an idea that something was coming since Porlyusica's sudden interest in finding him a job, but a mage guild was quite unexpected. After all he was no mage and had expressed no interest in joining a guild.

But Percy hated being alone and the long, dulling boredom that resulted from routine was already creeping up on the ADHD afflicted teen. Besides, if anyone could find a way to travel across dimensions it would be a mage right?

"Alright; I'm game. You'll have to explain some things to me though old man; I'm still new to this concept of guilds and mages."

Annabeth had always complained that he was too impulsive.

* * *

It had taken Percy just above a week to reconcile himself to this new world, explore the town of Magnolia and the adjacent lake, find a place to live and get some clothing; but finally he had shown up at Fairy Tail to take advantage of Makarov's offer. He was still learning about this new world and the oddness that was magic, but he felt confident enough to pass himself off as a mage and his abilities off as 'magic'.

He was, however, in no way prepared for the chaos that was Fairy Tail, which was why he found himself at the bottom of a dog pile thirty people deep.

He managed to free his upper body enough to look around and regretted it immediately.

"Is there a naked, slightly burnt teenager on top of me? You know what; forget I ever asked that question."

A brunette sitting at the bar and chugging down alcohol by the barrel snorted into her drink.

"Looks like the new guy's fitting right in!" she hollered in amusement.

"Yes, nothing screams hospitality like an all out brawl." Percy commented wryly as he dragged himself out inch by inch, inadvertently dragging the male stripper with him.

"Natsu~ Gray's gotten back up!" a voice sang directly over Percy's head.

Percy turned his head to find the source of the voice and decided that maybe he was not as reconciled to magic as he thought he was.

"Flying, talking, blue cats; why not? If there can be flying pigs…" he muttered to himself as he took a seat at the bar.

"Having second thoughts whether you want to join or not?" Makarov asked him sympathetically; Fairy Tail's first impression often left people shell-shocked, if not in need of medical attention.

Percy shook his head "You asking me if I want to join a group of people with short attention spans and a tendency to pick fights?"

Makarov winced at the harsh assessment while Percy just chuckled at the old man's comical distress.

"Why not; tt's just like home. All you have to do is make the missions life threatening, get some blood thirsty monsters to attack periodically and organize a sing along and I'll fit right in!"

The mage just stared at Percy for a while, unable to tell whether he was joking or not.

"I need a drink." Makarov finally muttered.

"Make that two!" Percy cheerfully added.

"Well if the way you're causing the old man to worry is any indication, you're born to be a member of our guild."

Percy turned his head to look at the source of the statement which turned out to be the same brunette who had been drinking by the barrel, an activity which she had not yet given up.

"Cana." she added hastily as a late introduction.

"Percy." the son of Poseidon answered in turn.

Soon enough as the fighting abated other members of the guild came and introduced themselves. The male stripper was Gray, the two white hair girls teaming up against the red head were sisters named Mirajane and Lisanna Strauss while the red head in question was Erza Scarlet. It was a pink haired fellow called Natsu, who could match any demigod's attention length inch for inch, who asked the inevitable question.

"So; what sort of magic do you use?"

"Oh you know, a bit of this and a bit of that." Percy replied evasively.

Whoever had raised Natsu had clearly forgotten to teach him how to take a hint because Natsu persisted doggedly, and as blunt as ever.

"But, what's the strongest magic you have?"

Percy shrugged noncommittally "I'm good with swords I guess."

Natsu's face brightened "You mean like Erza, right?"

Percy opened his mouth and then carefully shut it again. 'Smooth, real smooth Jackson.' a mental voice sounding unnervingly like Annabeth scolded him. He had been fluctuating between passing off either if his two strengths; control of water and swordsmanship, as his 'magical power'. Apparently he had chosen wrong.

"I dunno what Erza does." he finally responded "I just beat up people using a sword."

It seemed to be the correct response as it elicited a round of chuckles from the listening mages. Erza however just listened on thoughtfully

"We should spar sometime then. It'll be good to practice my swordsmanship more often against a trained opponent."

Percy had to work hard at maintaining his poker face. It was just his luck that he would find a fight on the first day at his new job.

"I'm going to murder Porlyusica." he muttered to himself

"What was that?" Erza asked.

"Nothing! I was just saying to myself that I would be delighted to refresh my own skills and test them against a good opponent." Percy hastily improvised.

"Perfect! Give me some time to find my practice swords say, one hour?"

"Peachy, just peachy." Percy muttered into his drink.

Erza gave him a smile unnervingly like the one Ares had given him the first time the son of Poseidon had asked him for a sparring session and rushed out of the guild.

Percy was having second thoughts already.

"Shouldn't you go get your guild stamp first?" Lisanna inquired as Percy called for another drink.

Percy was about to reply before a hearty slap on his back sent him spluttering.

"Bah! He's fighting Erza isn't he? First let him fight and then see what limbs are left to be stamped."

Percy turned a baleful glare towards the origin of the comment; Natsu and picked up his drink to make his way to Makarov.

"A fight with Erza on your first day huh. You sure don't like to wait before trying to make an impact." Makarov greeted before noticing that Percy seemed distracted "Hey are you going to be okay?"

"Okay? I'll be fine." Percy replied as he snatched another mug of beer from another member much to his indignation "I'm just not used to people challenging me. The only fights I got back home by the time I left were those that I asked for- literally."

"Really? Were you good then?" Makarov asked in interest; looking to gauge the strength of a prospective guild member.

"The best." Percy replied, simply stating a fact rather than boasting.

* * *

It was into the afternoon when Percy strode out to the street in front of the guild practicing strokes with the sword Erza had found. The leather jacket he had been wearing earlier was in the hands of Happy- the flying cat- and the sleeves of his bright orange t-shirt were rolled up, exposing the Fairy Tail mark on one arm and the Roman 'SPQR' and trident on the other.

Erza eyed the Roman brand with interest but didn't say anything; knowing that right now they were gathered for a duel. If the crowd of mages gathered to witness the fight wondered about it, they didn't say anything for now.

"Alright." Percy said, cracking his knuckles "Let's begin then, shall we?"

* * *

_Chapter 2: Fishin' for a Mission_

_ "I thought you said you can't beat sea monsters in their own element!" Gray cried out in panic as the boat rocked to and fro crazily._

_ Percy smiled; supernaturally calm "No. I just said it's nearly impossible to beat them. Nearly."_

**[A/N]: Hey guys, here is my latest plot bunny gone wild. Enjoy it and leave me as many reviews as possible. It is my first crossover (and in a not too popular category) so don't be too harsh okay? This is my first story under my new pen-name, previously I was 'Dapieman'. For those wondering, yes I am working on a rework of my PJO fic as well.  
**

**Cheers~**

** J. B. Wock**


	2. Chapter 2: Fishin' for a Mission

Uncharted

Chapter 2: Fishin' for a Mission

* * *

_Entry 2: Okay; going to write out a proper entry this time. Really, how else am I going to remember everything that happened in Earth-land in order to tell it to the guys back home? Earth-land; now that is a strange name. What's wrong with simply saying earth? And why is there no T.V. here?_

_Err…what was I talking about again?_

_Have I mentioned that I have ADHD? Maybe keeping a diary is going to be harder than I thought…_

* * *

Erza had been initially reluctant to go along with Makarov's request to test the strength of their newest member. Percy seemed like quite a laid back guy, slightly goofy and not the sort of person who you would expect to go up against Erza who never learned exactly how to hold back.

Swallowing her objections, as it was a direct request from master after all, Erza handed him a sword and slowly her reluctance began to fade away. His posture and attitude had transformed radically upon grabbing a sword; going from happy go lucky to supernaturally calm with a tinge of anticipation. He was giving the sword a few experimental swings; testing out its balance and weight, but his eyes never left Erza. They were assessing her, the scarlet haired mage realized with a start, categorizing her pose, her reach and even the weak points of her armor.

It spoke of an experienced fighter at the very least and the predatory aura that Percy was exuding suggested at least a bit of skill; it seemed Makarov had a method behind his madness when he set Erza her task after all.

"Alright. Let's begin then, shall we?" Percy proposed.

Erza gave a somewhat grim smile.

"Yes, let's begin."

* * *

Percy gave his sword a few swings; it was longer than Riptide but lighter, few things were heavier than Celestial Bronze except for Imperial Gold. The sword was still pretty well balanced apparently Erza had found a good weapon-smith, or at least she had a good eye for swords. He gave an assessing glance at Erza as he got ready for the spar to start; this was where his ADHD came in use like it was intended to; as battlefield reflexes. An ordinary demigod's reflexes bordered on the supernatural for an ordinary person, making them see the fight in slow motion and react almost instinctively, Percy's reflexes and instincts on the other hand had been honed to razor sharpness on top of that, through years or practice and heated battles for survival. Confident in those reflexes for an advantage it was the son of Poseidon who made the first move; a head on charge at his female opponent which smoothly transitioned into a rising diagonal blow. Erza easily blocked and as the two locked blades for the first time Percy found himself giving a secondary analysis of the redheaded mage.

In purely physical terms he had the advantage; he was taller and had more reach, he was stronger and since he was wearing no armor, unlike his opponent, he was probably faster too. With a push he broke the brief deadlock and decided to see whether his advantage held in terms of skill and experience as well. He decided on a more aggressive approach, countering Erza's jab and going for a low sweep at the legs which morphed into a rising slash. Erza was undoubtedly good; she didn't fall for any of his feints and wasn't phased by the unorthodox attacks which had so troubled the Romans.

A rhythm formed for both duelers consisting of attacks and counter-attacks and both found themselves fully immersed in it. A sort of daze fell over the audience as well; soon the only sounds that could be heard included the clash of steel on steel, the occasional grunt of effort as a heavy blow was swung or blocked and gasp every now and then as one of the onlookers remembered to breathe again.

It was Percy who broke stalemate, Percy who in his competitiveness was not satisfied unless he won. Slowly but steadily his speed, his reflexes and the strength behind each blow increased until it passed the level of master swordsman that it had been before and simply reached the bounds of supernatural. Erza slowly began giving ground, pushed back by the relentless barrage of blows and eventually she made the inevitable mistake. It wasn't a big mistake; she half-lunged to stop a feint and, upon realizing it for a trick, tried drawing back. However, even as she drew her blade back Percy caught it with the flat of his sword and twisted it; wrenching it out of her grasp in the same move Luke had taught him in what seemed an age ago and throwing it onto the ground.

Somebody probably forgot to give Erza the memo that told her to stop fighting at this point because she went on like nothing had happened; giving a strong kick to Percy that had him hastily sidestep and give her time to Requip to a halberd. Percy blinked twice at his sudden disadvantage in range and then deftly dodged a stab and sliced through the shaft of the weapon. He then took the opportunity to go back on the offensive fighting his way through a veritable army's worth of weapons. For every weapon she pulled out Percy had a way to counter it; ranging from axes to the sword and shield combo.

He blocked yet another strike from her weapon only to realize that the redhead had Requipped to a mace of all things. A mace which went on to shatter the sword that he had been using, leaving behind a half a foot of sharp tipped steel. Percy didn't flinch though and moved closer to Erza, launching a blindingly fast upper cut which made a solid connection with her jaw. Before she could recover Percy was next to her, holding the hilt of his sword, and about a foot of steel, to her throat.

"Looks like this one's my win." Percy spoke softly, the first words from either of them since the spar had begun.

* * *

"Percy, fight me!" Natsu spoke for the fifth time- or was it the sixth? Percy, never one for numbers had lost count of how many times he had to reject the pink haired dragon slayer.

"Leave him alone Natsu, it's just his first day at the guild and he doesn't need any fights." Erza chirped in helpfully. Natsu made as to protest but a dangerous glare from Erza quelled the rebellion in its tracks and he went off; probably to pick another fight with Gray.

Percy debated about pointing out the hypocrisy in Erza's statement, but realized that she had been right about one thing; he _had_ had enough fights for today. Instead he went to chat with Makarov who was sitting cheerfully smoking at the bar.

"Percy! How's life?" the wizened mage asked.

"Well…it's interesting." came the reply.

"That's good right?" asked Makarov with a grin, having a good idea where the conversation was heading.

Percy scoffed "There is a saying from where I come from 'May you be cursed with interesting times.'"

"And…?"

Percy motioned with his hands towards a tray bearing a few mugs, being carried to its direction by Mirajane. One of the mugs went shooting, amongst cries of protest, straight into Percy's hands upon which he took a deep swallow.

"I think I've got another curse to add to my collection."

Makarov snorted amusement "Welcome to my life brat. I swear I lost more than half of my hair due to the rest of you brats and the rest turned grey." Suddenly he peered closely at Percy "You look young but you talk like an old geezer. Are you sure you're not one?"

The person in question swallowed the rest of his drink and stood up, flashing Makarov a cheeky grin "Why _old man_ I'm just another young brat." Before he could get a reply he made a hasty bid for the exit. Just as he left he heard an indignant shout from the master.

"You better start taking paying missions soon you hear me?"

Percy just laughed.

* * *

"So how is he?" Makarov found himself asking Erza not long after Percy left.

Erza unconsciously rubbed the point of her neck Percy had pointed his sword at.

"He is good." she spoke up at last "I would like to fight him seriously some day."

Makarov paled "Oh no. That day's not coming any time soon. If I wand the guild destroyed I'll just ask Gildarts to do it."

"Somebody say my name?" a sleepy yet bemused voice asked from the second floor of the guild.

* * *

Porlyusica didn't say a word as Percy came into view; she just gave another –quite evil- smile. "How was your day?"

Percy didn't deign her question with a reply he simply gave her a baleful glare and then went in, flopping down onto the bed that had been for Porlyusica's patient until he had taken over.

"You knew." he accused her as the pink haired doctor walked in.

Porlyusica just gave a shrug. A shrug as if she had no idea what he was talking about!

"Now that you've got a paying job I expect you to have found another place to stay by the end of the week."

Percy gave a groan and covered his head with a pillow, unsuccessfully trying to block Porlyusica's ultimatum from reaching his ears.

"I was going to treat this like a vacation." he complained.

"Bah. Lazy bum. You joined the guild didn't you? Might as well earn your keep while you're at it." his host retorted.

"But, but, I just joined for the company and the discount at the bar." Percy argued. There was no response however, Porlyusica had left the room. "Peachy, just peachy." he said with another groan as he buried his head into the pillow again.

"Time to go fishin' for a mission then I suppose."

* * *

"I think I'll choose you." Percy muttered to himself as he deftly plucked a mission request sheet off the board. Now what exactly was he supposed to do with the blasted slip of paper?

"Oi; what am I supposed to do to start a mission?" Percy yelled out to the guild in general.

"You just have to register so that we know you've taken this mission and don't give it to anybody else." a quiet voice spoke from right beside Percy.

With a start Percy turned to face the origin of the voice, a tall dark skinned man who had introduced himself as Nab the previous day.

"Alright, thanks, but where do I find the register?" Percy inquired.

"Mirajane had it last I saw."

"Okay; thanks!"

Nab looked at the mission board again as Percy left. Having intimate knowledge of its contents he immediately noted the one that was missing.

"The sea monster one? Could be tricky."

At the moment Mirajane who was filling in the register for Percy was echoing the same concern. "You sure you can take this one on your own? Taking care of sea monsters can be a bit difficult."

Percy just smiled; this sort of mission was right up his alley. "Yeah I'm sure I can handle this mission. I've done plenty of stuff to it's like before."

Mirajane looked intrigued "Really? Well then I'll leave it to you. Just in case though you should take somebody with you, I don't want to be the one to explain to master why our latest member became fish food."

Percy looked around, trying to find a person who'd be agreeable to going on a mission with him -and survive the experience- and his gaze alighted on a certain male stripper.

"Gray! You up for a mission?"

The stripper in mention looked uncertain, no doubt wondering if the glint in Percy's eyes boded any good. A glance at the reward for the mission made up his mind though.

"Fine by me; 50:50 the reward?"

Percy frowned; he needed as much money as he could get if he wanted to find a place that he liked. The reward was pretty hefty though; almost a million 'jewels', even half would be decent enough.

"Gotcha. Let's go then shall we?"

* * *

The port town that had reported the troubles and had actually set the mission was to the south-east of Magnolia, nearly four hours on the train upon which Percy and Gray found themselves currently traveling upon. They had been on the train for nearly two hours in which Percy's companion had lost his clothes thrice, nearly got them kicked off the train as many times and had cleared half of the carriage they were located in.

So far Percy found himself vindicated in his decision of partner; he definitely managed to keep things interesting and chase away the ADHD woes over long journeys. At the moment the two Fairy Tail mages were discussing strategies for their upcoming missions.

"You sure don't start off small do you?" Gray muttered as he examined the piece of paper that contained the details of their mission. "I mean this is nearly an S-class mission."

Percy shrugged "I need the money to get settled in, find a place to live and this seemed the simplest request considering the amount of money they're offering for completion."

Gray raised an eyebrow "Simple? We have to deal with a 15 meters long sea monster that's been wrecking ships, eating sailors and scaring off fish. It hardly seems simple."

Percy shook his head "No, no sea monsters are always simple. The tricky part is getting them out of the sea, because as long as they are in their element they're nearly impossible to beat."

"So I'm guessing you have a plan?" Gray inquired.

"Oh yes." Percy replied with a grin that definitely boded no good "We'll need a few supplies though; a boat, a good length of strong rope and some raw meat would be good too…"

* * *

"I don't think this is a good plan." Gray mumbled.

"Relax. What could possibly go wrong?" Percy replied soothingly.

According to Gray's personal opinion a lot could go wrong at this point; though it had started when he had, in a moment of weakness, agreed to go on a mission with Percy. One thing had led to another and right now they were on a rowboat made of ice, dangling a piece of rope with some raw beef attached to one end into the water. Gray felt that, in his humble opinion, once you reached the point of fishing for 15 meters long, carnivorous sea monsters with a reputation for deadliness a lot had already gone wrong.

It was the sort of plan the ice mage expected a certain pink haired dragon slayer to make, or a hard headed female knight, or a demonic take-over specialist…

In hindsight the only way for a Fairy Tail mage to do this mission safely was to do it solo.

The boat began rocking from side to side violently and Percy gave him another Cheshire like grin. "I got a bite!" he announced happily.

He pulled at the rope, straining with effort and slowly a crocodile-like head was dragged to the surface. It was covered in bluish-green scales, had malevolent red eyes, teeth the length of Gray's forearms and a long serpentine body covered in the same scales that covered its head. And it did not look happy.

Percy gave a groan which his partner echoed, albeit for different reasons. "It's just a baby." he cried out in disappointment.

Gray looked at Percy as if he was crazy which looked more and more probable as time passed. "Who cares? Get to dealing with it! And what is the next part of the plan any way? You never told me."

Percy pouted "You're pretty heartless to want to kill a baby you know." Gray just glared at him. "Fine, fine; I'm getting to it." As he said that he took off his jacket and got ready to get out of the boat –in the middle of the sea.

"Wait what are you doing?" Gray asked him.

"I thought you wanted me to deal with the monster?" Percy asked looking at Gray as if _he_ was the crazy one.

"I thought you said you can't beat sea monsters in their own element!" Gray cried out in panic as the boat rocked to and fro crazily.

Percy smiled; supernaturally calm "No. I just said it's nearly impossible to beat them. Nearly." Saying so he dived into the water, leaving a shell shocked ice mage behind him.

He was under water barely for a few seconds before he surfaced, climbing up the neck of the serpentine monster. Gray's eyes bulged in their sockets; _this_ was his plan? Still shocked the mage watched the surreal scene of Percy climbing the neck to reach the head upon which he started pounding away –with his bare fists none the less!- at the monster's skull. It caused the monster to thrash around a bit so Gray had to act fast before the boat could be capsized.

Even as he tried to steady the boat one of his partner's latest comments rebounded on him and left him reeling.

"Percy!" he yelled above the sounds of the swordsman's and the monster's struggle "If this is the baby then does that mean there's a mother t-"

Before he could complete his sentence it was answered by another head and serpentine body poking itself above the water which was followed by three more sea serpents.

They didn't look too happy either; in fact they looked distinctly _angry_.

"Oh shi-" Gray began before the boat was capsized by the turbulence created by the additional monsters' appearances.

* * *

Percy whooped and shouted in glee as he rode the sea monster like a bad tempered horse on a rodeo. He hadn't had this much fun since he strangled a monster in the Carquinez Strait, back when he was on the way to Camp Jupiter sans his memories. It was a pity he had forgotten to pick up a new sword; Riptide was residing back in his home dimension and the sword Erza had lent to him yesterday had been broken. Maybe Gray could help him with that ice magic of his. A quick glance over to Gray showed him that he had his own problems and would not be of much help at the moment.

"Alright then; time to find out how to drive this thing."

He clenched both hands together and brought them down at once one the creature's head with a mighty 'thwack!'. The monster reared up, snarling in pain.

"Found the ignition switch." Percy muttered to himself. "Now the accelerator…" he gave an open handed slap on the head of the creature "Giddy up horsey!"

Percy turned his impromptu ride to where Gray had been having trouble with the appearance of four more sea serpents. The ice mage had taken care of one using a giant hammer made of ice and was hastily trying to fend off the three left aboard a hastily made ice raft.

"Ahoy there!" Percy yelled "Need some help?"

Gray turned with his eye's bulging at the sight before him "How in the world?!"

Percy laughed boisterously "You underestimate me! Ready to finish this up?"

"No I want to play with them a little longer." Gray deadpanned.

* * *

Going on a mission was a potentially scarring experience if you were not used to the madness that was Fairy Tail. Even so Gray still found himself shuddering every time he recounted what happened in the past few hours. He had been desperately trying to keep himself afloat and out of a sea monster's mouth when Percy had charged in riding another one of the very same creatures and half scaring the ice mage to death. And then there was what followed…

"What gave you the idea of _tying_ them up?" Gray asked, voicing the question that been troubling him for a while.

Percy shrugged and gave him a carefree smile "I've always been good at tangling things up." He smiled again; an inside joke Gray decided.

Good at angling things was an understatement though; even as they had made their way to the train station with their reward, and some healthy extra, there were townspeople gaping at the spectacle of five sea monsters wrapped into a neat knot.

"Well looks like we've tied things up here." Percy added cheerfully, much to Gray's dismay. "Yup no loose ends left undone here."

"When is the blasted train getting here?" Gray muttered to himself.

"One would almost think you didn't have fun on this mission." Percy remarked dryly.

Gray snorted "You could say that."

Percy laughed lightly "Hey you finished the mission right? Got paid and have all your limbs to spend that money too? Plus you've got a cool new story to brag about, so what's the problem?"

"Well if you put it that way…" Gray mused. Suddenly he spoke up again "What caused you to join Fairy Tail Percy?"

Percy looked at Gray intently, causing him to color slightly. The ice mage knew that quite a few mages of the guild had troubled histories. He himself had a grim story to tell, Natsu had parent abandonment issues and if the state Erza had joined the guild in was any indication, then the scarlet haired knight had had an unpleasant life too.

"I was booted out of hime. Family troubles you could say. In the end I landed up in Magnolia in the land of Fiore and decided to join the guild." Percy finally answered.

"You're a long way from home huh?" Gray asked sympathetically.

Percy let out a short bark of laughter "Yeah, you can say that. A very long way away from home. But tell me more about the guild and its mages. I met some of them, any noteworthy persons of interest that I missed?"

Realizing that the swordsman had shared as much of his history as he was willing to, Gray got onto answering his query.

"Well there's Elfman, Mirajane and Lissana's brother. He's been laid up for a few days due to magical exhaustion, so you missed him when you came. Then there are Mystogun, Laxus and Gildarts. They're the most powerful mages, well amongst the men at least, aside for master."

Gray stole a quick look at Percy "You'd get along with Laxus I think. Either that or you two would try to kill each other."

Percy grunted in amusement "That's not the first time somebody's told me that." Under Gray's questioning look he elaborated further "It was regarding one of m best friend's best friend."

"And what happened?" Gray prompted.

"Tried to kill her." Percy answered matter-of-factly. "We became the best of friends later." He hastily defended after seeing Gray's incredulous stare. "One of her older brothers though he was a…" Percy paused, at a loss for words.

"Douche?" Gray offered.

"Yeah, that's the word! He got better later on though." Percy paused again, seeing that he had lost his partner somewhere along the conversation.

"Hello? Earth-land to Gray; anybody home?"

Abruptly he realized that the stripper/mage was staring at somebody departing from a train. Tall, broad shouldered, blonder and wearing a fur-trimmed cloak, the man's most distinct feature was a jagged scar running down one side of his face, crossing over one eye.

"Laxus." Gray breathed out.

"You caused gramps a shit-load of worry kid. And for nothing by the look of it; ran away once the mission got tough?" Laxus inquired mockingly.

"We finished the mission; we can take care of ourselves." Percy informed the blonde calmly.

Laxus turned his gaze on Percy "So you're the latest addition to the guild are you? Funny, you don't look like you can beat Erza."

"Percy Jackson." Percy introduced himself, while extending a hand that went ignored. The demigod narrowed his gaze, the blonde mage was starting to get on his nerves.

"Well hopefully you're not as weak as some of those mages back at the guild."

Percy narrowed his eyes further and intensified his glare. Laxus's swagger and boasting had provoked his temper, short as a fuse it had for this sort of bullying manner.

"Ooh, what's wrong newbie? Is that glare supposed to scare me?" Laxus mocked.

Gray edged away from the two mages set on a collision course. Whether the glare scared Laxus or not, it was distinctly unnerving and besides he had no desire to get caught up in a fight not his, especially one between an S-Class mage and another who could go toe to toe with Erza.

"Well, what're you looking at huh punk?"

"I don't know, but it sure is ugly." Percy growled.

Laxus's grin took a more fixed edge, becoming more of a leer. "Well you can talk back, but can you back up your words or are you just compensating for something?"

"Why don't you try me out?" Percy taunted, making a 'come-at-me' gesture, "Be careful not to hurt your knuckles punching me though."

Before the conflict could escalate further a voice cut in.

"Now, now girls do play nice will you?"

All three Fairy Tail mages whipped their heads round to find the source of the comment. It was a tall, muscular man, close to his thirties probably. He had slicked back orange hair and a scruffy beard that looked more like he had forgotten to shave, rather than an attempt at cultivated facial hair.

"Gildarts?!" Gray cried out, astonished. "What brings you here?"

The arrival of Fairy Tail's ace member forced Laxus and Percy to forget, or at least postpone as angry glares promised, their confrontation.

"The old man heard that there was more than one sea monster in the area which made him a bit worried, luckily me and Laxus were going to pass by this area on route to our missions, so I offered to check up on you guys."

"We can take care of ourselves." Percy repeated gruffly, still annoyed.

Gildarts flashed a quick smile "Obviously. But enough talking, your train's here and I need to be on my way too. See you in a week's time."

Percy shook Gildarts's hand in farewell. "You're somebody that I would like to fight. It's been too long since I cut loose."

Gildarts roared with laughter "Maybe one day Percy Jackson."

It was later on the train that Percy noticed Gray muttering to himself.

"Never again." he seemed to be promising himself.

* * *

"Why Laxus of all people?" Gray asked Makarov.

"Why, what did my grandson do this time?" Makarov asked.

"Do? He and Percy nearly got into an all out brawl and then Percy went and made a plan for another fight with Gildarts!"

Makarov's face paled at the potential havoc the fights could cause. "Dear god really? Where is Percy now?"

Gray shrugged "Dunno. He said something about seeing a man about a boat."

Around the same time on the banks of Lake Scilliora Percy was examining his latest purchase; one rather run down houseboat.

"I'm going to need more money if I want to fix you up, don't I" Percy said with a groan. He cheered up soon enough at the prospect of his own house; one which doubled as a boat nonetheless. "Oh well for now I dub thee 'Island of Insanity'!"

* * *

"What's wrong?" a distinctly female voice inquired.

"Nothing…there was a slight resonance earlier." he replied.

"Where?"

"Right where we're not allowed to interfere." he replied with a grimace. "I'll have to be a bit…circumspect in my investigation."

"Be careful." she told him coolly as she left.

"You know I will." he replied crossly to thin air. He really did dislike being rebuked, after all _he_ was the elder amongst them.

* * *

_Chapter 3: Thicker than Water_

_Mirajane gasped as Percy's body came into view. Percy, who everybody saw as indomitable and indestructible lying bruised and battered amongst the wreckage of the trees. A sudden shaft of moonlight caused her to gasp once more. Percy's blood, pooling around his prone body was_

"_Golden?" Mirajane whispered to herself. _

**[A/N]: A bit later than I had expected, sorry about that I ran into a bit of a tough patch halfway through and had difficulty translating thoughts onto paper (or computer as the case is). Well it's out now so I hope you enjoy it. A big thank you to all the people who followed, favorited and especially to those who reviewed chapter 1. Please do review this time around too, I like to know what my readers think!  
**

**Cheers~**

**J. B. Wock**


	3. Chapter 3: Thicker than Water (I)

Uncharted

Chapter 3: Thicker than Water (I); Black as Death

* * *

_Entry 7: Wow, really I still had this thing? Well then 7 entries over two years; I'm on a roll! Well then where was I since my last entry? I got the giant spiders in Insanity's storeroom out, had another fight with Laxus that was broken up by the old man and even got a haircut!_

_Is this handwriting even legible? Levy always accuses me of writing with my feet. Probably would be better if I did…_

* * *

Percy sat moodily on the porch of his home, his legs dangling into the waters of Lake Scilliora yet still managing to be perfectly dry. If the demigod's mood was a bit sour, he had excuse; yesterday had made it two years since he had arrived in Earth-land. Percy wasn't complaining, he had been unusually lucky; finding friends, a home and a good job quite easily, but he still missed his original home. He had fought two wars to save that world for Poseidon's sake! He wanted to live there and celebrate his victory!

Mood still uncharacteristically grim he extended his hand and dipped it into the lake, cupping it to withdraw some water. From the withdrawn water two figures formed, both exquisitely detailed; two boys wearing armor and wielding swords, and began to duel each other. One of the boys had a scarred face. To and fro across Percy's palm the two fighters ranged even as their puppet master remained lost in his own –decidedly dark- reminiscences.

"I didn't know you could use water magic." Erza commented from behind him.

Percy gave a start as the figures dissolved into a puddle of water, he had not heard Erza coming, just another sign of how deep in his thoughts the son of Poseidon was. "It's nothing."

Erza looked at her colleague with something akin to worry. The red haired knight was not the best authority on feelings, being fairly emotionally stunted, but even she could tell something was wrong when the normally cheerful Percy Jackson was so subdued.

"Something wrong?"

Percy gave a resigned sigh "Nothing that can be fixed right now at least."

Erza shrugged uneasily, she had done what she could right? There was no need to do something drastic like give hugs right?

"Why do you look like you just had to eat a week old fish?" Percy asked with a trace of his usual humor back in his voice.

Erza shook her head rapidly "No reason." she replied hurriedly "That was quite beautiful what you did with the water." she said, motioning towards the water that Percy still held in his hands.

Good naturedly Percy let himself be diverted "If you say so." he answered off handedly. Even as he replied the water gathered to form the shape of a miniature winged horse which rose to fly a few loops around Erza's head before diving into the lake. Erza gave out a delighted laugh before catching herself.

Percy gave her a small smile "Perhaps a night out drinking in town would be a good idea. Take my mind off gloomy thoughts."

The ship began moving, seemingly of its own accord and Erza nodded, hiding a smile. It had puzzled her how a ship without any visible propulsion system - or even a steering system! - could be moved around. It was good to have some mysteries, even if they were pretty minor, solved.

"So how good are you with water magic-" Erza began before the sound of somebody vomiting interrupted her.

"Oh gods!" Percy exclaimed "I forgot Natsu was in there!" In a flash the son of Poseidon was up and moving to defend his home from the vomit of the dragonslayer. "I swear Dragneel if you puke in my house one more time I'm going to leave you to swim with the fishes!" he threatened as he rushed inside.

Erza just laughed; trust Natsu to break up the tension in any situation.

* * *

Percy did take his own advice and went out for a drinking spree out in Magnolia. However, due to a high alcohol tolerance thanks to a certain somebody ("If you're old enough to save the world, you're old enough to drink _my_ brew Perry Johansson.") the only drinking partner he could find that would keep up with him was Cana. This was the reason the pair could be seen swaying drunkenly as they walked back to the guild much later that same night.

"You know it's sad that I can dance better while drunk than I can while sober." Percy commented in between hiccups.

Besides him Cana laughed raucously "Aw god man what's wrong with you? You told me you were an angry drunk! I was gonna dump you in front of Laxus's house, right now you're likely to kiss him!"

Percy cringed at the mental image "I think that statement did the work of 1.5 cups of coffee."

Cana didn't stop now; she was on a drunken monologue-ing spree. "And you turned down the S-Calls mage nomination too." she argued "Why'd you do _that_?"

Percy shrugged, nearly tripping over his feet in the process "Dunno?" came his eloquent reply.

"It's a matter of pride damnit! You have to show them!" Cana continued to preach, finishing it off by trying to punch Percy in the arm.

Percy gave the punch an exaggerated dodge, but the motion caused both of the pair to sway around and eventually fall on their behinds.

Percy looked at Cana, at the rate they were going she was turning out to be a fine 'angry' drunk.

Cana looked at Percy, the edges of her lips twitching. Suddenly both of the drunks collapsed in fits of laughter. The laughter was loud enough that a resident of the area could be heard shouting "Shut up you punks!"

Cana and Percy just laughed all the louder.

"Why are we laughing?" Percy asked Cana in between the bouts of laughter.

"How should I know?" Cana replied and laughed all the louder.

Eventually the laughter subsided and with it some of the edge of their alcohol induced daze went too.

"But seriously, why don't you wanna be an S-Class mage?"

Percy sighed as he pulled his knees to his chest "I don't really care I guess. I might have, once, but not anymore."

"Why not?"

Percy gave out another, slightly bitterer sigh "My relation with my father and my family was…complicated. At first I wanted to prove myself, gain their approval even, but then I kind of stopped caring I suppose."

Despite herself, Cana was interested –and more than a bit sympathetic- Percy's story hit a bit close to her own problems. "Why'd you stop caring?"

Percy shrugged nonchalantly "Realized there were more important things to worry about." 'Like staying alive and saving the world', he added silently.

Cana glanced at Percy; this bitter tone was so unlike him, so completely alien to his usual manner that the brunette felt herself compelled to change the topic.

"Those are some deep, philosophical thoughts you know. Clearly we're not buzzed enough; let's go fill ourselves to our toes with booze!"

Percy perked up slightly "You're right; I've still got something to drink back at the Island. You up for it?"

Cana laughed "You're on; after all I'm not the one who will drop first."

* * *

Late into the next afternoon Percy staggered into the building that housed Fiore's strongest and rowdiest guild. Everybody looked at him once, took in the disheveled appearance, bloodshot eyes, and staggering gait and reached their own, mostly correct, conclusions.

"Had fun out drinking with Cana?" Erza asked.

Percy winced loudly as Erza's voice reached his ears and his tortured brain. "Not so loud." He croaked in protest. Before Erza could say anything further to send his head pounding once more Percy made his way to the bar and sat down heavily on one of the stools.

"I'm never going drinking with that woman again!" he declared from his perch.

"That's strange; Percy gets rid of his hangovers faster than even Cana does." Macao remarked.

Wakaba laughed loudly, eliciting another groan from Percy "Must have been quite the drinking spree then."

Levy who was tending the bar for the day looked at Percy sympathetically as he groaned, rather theatrically at times, whenever somebody used to come and attempt a conversation with him. The swordsman had become a regular fixture around the guild in the days that followed him joining. Some mages knew him for his goofy sense of humor and carefree attitude, others for his fierce loyalty and willingness to help out in a pinch. If he took mission after life threatening mission with frightening regularity and pulled off outrageous stunts to finish them…well this _was_ Fairy Tail after all.

"For the last time Natsu, stop pestering me! I can't help it if Mirajane didn't want to take you with her!" Makarov shouted at the pink haired dragonslayer from across the hall.

"Oh gods why can't everybody just…shut up?" Percy whined, cradling his head between his hands.

Levy giggled "Shouldn't have come to the guild then." she replied cheekily.

Before Percy could think up a retort for this blatant insult to his dignity Natsu came up to him and slapped him on the back. "Percy! You can help right?"

As usual he had his volume turned up to eleven.

"Natsu…" Percy groaned as he gave the boy a belligerent stare.

"Yeah?" the fire mage responded.

"Go die." the demigod deadpanned.

"But Percy…" Natsu pleaded.

Percy gave a glance to Natsu who was giving the cutest pout he could muster. It had no effect; Percy was a master in the technique and Natsu was simply 'preaching to the choir'. With the attempt to plea to Percy's nobler senses –which had apparently gone on leave for the day- having failed, Natsu proceeded to plan D, with 'D' standing for diabolic; he decided to take advantage of Percy's hangover.

Percy caved within ten minutes.

"Alright! I'll hear you out already, just stopping trying to fight me!" the demigod said, caving in. Before Natsu could start his request though, Percy held up a hand, stalling him. "Go get my stuff from the Island first will you?"

Eager to get Percy on his way, Natsu was all too happy to comply- forgetting that the Island of Insanity was a boat, one floating in the middle of the lake.

Giving a satisfied chuckle Percy buried his head in his arms again "That should get me a few hours of peace."

Of course that was when Laxus decided to drop by the guild.

* * *

Natsu looked curiously at the large hole in one of the guild walls. It hadn't been there when he had left and if there had been a brawl, as per usual, it wouldn't have stopped until well past midnight.

"What caused that?" he asked Percy, motioning to the hole.

"Oh that?" Percy replied shiftily "Laxus and some other fellow decided to have an arm wrestling match and Laxus smashed the other guy through a table so the other guy _accidentally_ threw Laxus through the wall."

"Really? Who was the other guy?" the dragonslayer asked inquisitively.

"Never mind that." Percy replied hastily "What did you want from me?"

It was Natsu's turn to look uneasy as he explained the task he had in mind.

"Let me get this straight." Percy asked, running over each word slowly "You want me to go baby-sit Mirajane. Mirajane '_The Demon_' Strauss."

Natsu had good cause to look uneasy; he knew very well that if Mirajane found anybody interfering with her mission that person ran the risk of losing a few appendages. If she found out that the person was sent to look after her…this mission veered of in the direction of suicide.

"Why?" Percy asked wearily, running a hand through his already tousled hair.

"Mirajane could finish this mission on her own." Natsu explained "But she took Elfman _and_ Lissana with her."

He didn't have to explain any further; Percy, and everybody else in the guild, knew that when it came to his white-haired childhood friend Natsu was more than a bit overprotective. Part of Percy wanted to say no, Mirajane was more than a capable mage and dismiss Natsu's concerns as paranoia, but the dragonslayer's pleas reminded Percy a bit too closely of another boy who had asked him, not too long ago, to look after his sister on a dangerous quest.

Percy gave a somewhat reluctant sigh "Fine. But I'm going on my own."

Natsu began to protest but Percy overrode his objections with a firm hand and was out on his way before the fire mage could get in another word.

* * *

Percy twitched his fingers and curiously noted the response he got. The feeling, faint yet growing, was definitely there. It had taken the demigod nearly six hours to reach to where the Take Over siblings were doing their mission. Six hours in which he realized that he was feeling distinctly feverish. It was an unusual feeling for the son of Poseidon; he never had had an illness that had lasted for long. For demigods flu's and fevers were something that happened to other people. The only comparisons he could make were the times he had been poisoned, overused his godly powers or when he had first shown symptoms of Gaea's curse.

It didn't take a child of Athena to see the connection, seeing as how Percy would remember causing a tidal wave or chewing down on some good ol' arsenic.

The probability that he was going home, or at least taking a trip to another alternate universe caused a mixed reaction for Percy. At first he was jubilant, after all two years! One would think it would take all powerful deities ruling over the world less time to cause a rift in reality and grab a lowly demigod and take him back home. And then came the low to the high. After all he had been part of the guild for two years, made friends and found a home. Percy knew from experience how tough life could be and the easy break had left him attached to this world.

For now though the savior of Olympus decided to think over this new change later. After all it had taken him nearly four days the last time he had jumped dimensions; he had plenty of time to mull this over and say his goodbyes. Right now he had his promise to Natsu to see through.

It was going to be a short task; all he had to do was to keep an eye out on Mirajane and Co. and then report back to the dragonslayer. How hard could it be?

Though the luckless demigod should have remembered a lesson drilled into demigods everywhere; Murphy's Law _never_ takes a break. He was about to find out how literally this could apply.

* * *

Mirajane looked at the back of her little sister. When they had set off for the mission Mirajane had been determined to take care of both her siblings and ironically it was Lissana who was now standing in between Mirajane and certain death.

The mission had started off well enough. They had located the base of the monster known as the 'Beast' by the locals and had made plans to subdue it. Things had gone wrong from there though; with the Beast attacking a village and Mirajane exhausting her magical reserves in beating back the monster and subduing it.

And here she was now, like a dream turned nightmare, waiting, dreading the inevitable. Just as Elfman –no the Beast- lifted his hand to strike Lissana and Mirajane flinched dreading what would follow a blur crashed into the monster and pushed it back. The Beast roared and tried to swat the offender away but he smoothly used the bulky arm as a springboard and leaped backwards.

It was Percy, but not quite as the take over specialists were used to seeing him. He was quiet and predatory, waiting to strike. The swordsman flexed his hand and from behind the Beast another blur shot out which the creature had to hastily sidestep in order to avoid impalement. It was Fang, Percy's claymore and Mirajane realized as her blood ran cold, it had nearly killed Elfman twice in quick succession.

Lissana had reached the same conclusion "No Percy!" she shrieked out "That's not the monster; that's my big brother!"

Percy gave her a quick glance but he knew Elfman's magic was Take-Over and the resulting deduction took him barely a second to reach the answer. He looked at the beast a tad more warily and shifted his stance slightly. Not any less dangerous, but it lacked the same predatory intent.

"Lissana go and take your sister with you." Percy ordered grimly. If his sisters could do nothing, Percy doubted he would make any headway appealing to Elfman's sanity either. No, talking wouldn't solve anything the monster would have to be subdued and if the sisters remained things could get _messy_.

Lissana raised her chin, with that same stubborn tilt to her head that her sister had, and was no doubt about to refuse but her brother beat her to the punch. The berserker gave another ear splitting roar and charged with speed belied by his hulking mass.

"Elfman, back!" Percy yelled flinging an outstretched hand in his direction.

The Beast faltered for a moment but then he continued onwards. Mirajane the onlooker had grim opinions of their success. Percy could only hold on so long before giving in, his talent for Telekinesis was not suited for large scale matters as he himself had told her in a shared mission a few months back. Worse if Percy fought with his sword, Mirajane might lose a sibling in the end after all. If only the swordsman could buy enough time for Mirajane to recover some magical energy…

In the midst of the crisis Percy had reached his own conclusion about the usefulness of a sword in his current position. He dropped the claymore blade first, letting it sink a foot into the soft soil, and clapped his hands together forcefully.

"I said; BACK!"

A geyser of water shot out of the ground directly below the rampaging monster's feet and pushed him off his feet. Before he could recover the water fashioned itself into two hands and captured him firmly in between the appendages.

"Lissana, I thought I asked you to get away from here and to take your sister with you." Percy asked from between gritted teeth.

"But-" Lissana began only for Percy to snap at her.

"I can handle myself!"

Mirajane could tell, even from her position that this was a bare faced lie. The effort of holding Elfman down was taking an obvious toll on Percy; his face was covered in sweat, his skin flushed and his eyes a bit too bright. Like a hammer stroke the realization hit the S-Class mage; it wasn't the effort of holding down her brother that was causing Percy to exert so much effort, _Percy wasn't in his best health to begin with_. The trembling of his limbs was not from strain or even the excitement of a battle, it was yet another sign of his illness.

Percy was not going to hold on for long and he knew it.

It seemed that Lissana too realized to some extent that Percy was struggling. But then, as Elfman continued his struggle and Percy collapsed to one knee under the strain, it really wasn't too hard to realize. The white haired teenager stood in front of Percy, arms outstretched, in the same pose she had stood in front of her sister and with the same intent.

"Brother stop this! This isn't you!" she pleaded.

Mirajane realized with dawning horror that Lissana wasn't going to leave, whatever happened. If anything was going to stop Elfman it was going to be her. Frantically, desperately she tried to catch a second wind and use the last dregs of whatever magic she could find to end this nightmare.

* * *

Quite often over the course of his short life Percy had thanked his insanely high pain tolerance, built over the years by skinny dipping in the Styx, weight lifting using Atlas's set and the occasional jaunt to Tartarus. Good decisions in the long run, because if it weren't for them Percy could not have been prepared for the pain that came with fighting a monster thrice his size while his body was dimensionally indisposed (now that was a cool sounding phrase, Annabeth would be proud). It felt, using a rather graphic analogy, like somebody was trying to pull out his intestines. Through his nose.

It had been too good, this new world with its lack of life threatening situations. And suddenly Percy found out that Fate was still a bitch that had simply been collecting all his debts in order to cash them in the worst time possible.

From his prone position Percy glared at the white haired girl that taken it upon herself to act as a human shield. Was she mad? How was Percy supposed to face Natsu if she died defending the same person that had been sent to take care of her? With a growl Percy pushed himself to his feet and tried increasing the pressure of the water holding Elfman. Zeus knew how long that berserker rage of his would last but Percy would have to hold, hold at least long enough for Mirajane to recover enough energy to run with her sister.

But it wasn't going to hold Percy realized, the water ever loyal to him was unresponsive; moving sluggishly where it did move at all.

"Mirajane" Percy began, about to ask her to take her younger sister and move to safety.

"I need one clear shot." Mirajane said, forestalling him.

Percy hissed from between his teeth, easier said then done. Finally he spoke; "You'll get your opening."

Famous last words as it turned out. Elfman increased his thrashing finally managing to make his legs follow his arms' suit and free them from the grip of the water. The rest of the body soon followed and the monster was again charging onwards.

One opening that was all that was required. One opening and he could take a long nap before he went back home to Fairy Tail to shout at Natsu for putting him in this situation. One opening.

Percy coughed, staggering as he did so, and spit up a wad of blood. At his side Lissana looked at him worriedly

"Percy…" she began.

Percy waved her and her concern to one side. Bianca's face flashed in his mind's eye. He couldn't fail this time.

One opening.

He gathered the water to himself the power, the birthright that accompanied it, flowing through his body more hesitantly than ever before. The last, minor obstruction of the remains of the water out of his way the Beast charged full force and Percy stood to meet him. The first fist was fast, but his mind –if not his body- still held through the pain and Percy was able to barely dodge and use the arm as a stepping stone to hang on to the behemoth's body.

"Mirajane; now!" Percy yelled as he leaped for Elfman's face. Immediately Mirajane began her Satan Soul takeover and darted in for the strike. The words left his mouth just in time for the second arm to come out of the air and swat him away like an offending insect.

Percy's body was a blur as it crashed though the adjacent forest.

* * *

Mirajane still wasn't sure whose throat had issued that horrified shriek as Percy was so casually swatted away, hers or Lissana's. Leaving a hasty injunction with her sister to look after their brother's unconscious body she ran into the forest, her path made clear by the broken branches and trunks resulting from Percy's crash. It didn't stop her for calling out for her guild mate though, not until she heard a hoarse voice.

Mirajane gasped as Percy's body came into view. Percy, who everybody saw as indomitable and indestructible lying bruised and battered amongst the wreckage of the trees. A sudden shaft of moonlight caused her to gasp once more. Percy's blood, pooling around his prone body was

"Golden?" Mirajane whispered to herself.

"You're making enough noise to wake the dead." Percy wheezed "Come to think of it, try again in a few minutes." Mirajane let out a strangled sob as she rushed to Percy's side.

"Is Elfman fine?" Percy asked.

"Worry about yourself." Mirajane ordered, but her voice had none of the usual heat behind it. "If you've got enough energy to talk, keep it to help yourself."

Percy chuckled, and then groaned immediately afterwards "Don't need energy, just a gold drachma." he whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean? Percy? Percy?" the take-over mage cried frantically but to no response; the swordsman's eyes remained closed. Her fingers reached for Percy's neck and found what she feared; no pulse. No sign of life.

Mirajane let out a keening wail of sorrow as sobs racked her body full force. Dead, he was dead!

A scrambling sound alerted her to the presence of her sister, who seeing her sister's tears and Percy's body recognized the situations. Soon salty tears covered her face and silent sobs racked her body too.

In the sisters' presence Percy's body began to glow, brighter and brighter until the lines of his form vanished and all that remained was a golden light. Eventually the light began to fade, and when it disappeared, Percy's body too had vanished.

* * *

Percy waited in the darkness. He was dead, as expected, but this…afterlife was not as he had expected. Where was Charon, the river of dead dreams, the giant three headed mastiff which Nico had nicknamed 'Fluffy'?

"Don't tell me a different world means a different afterworld too?" Percy muttered to himself as he peered into the darkness.

Endless darkness for an ADHD cursed demigod could be seen as a pretty bad form of torture. Being bored to death was not a pleasant idea, even if the person in question was already dead.

"So this isn't my uncle's domain and it probably isn't Hell either –not enough brimstones or fire- so for Poseidon's sake where in Tartarus am I?" Percy muttered crossly to himself. No wonder Charon didn't get enough pay if this was the sort of service he was providing!

A low throaty chuckle sounded in the infinite dark, echoing again and again in a way that Percy's voice had not done.

"Okay…creepy."

"Welcome Prince of the Seas." the formless voice spoke up.

"Let me guess; you were expecting me?" Percy replied wryly only to receive another laugh in return "Yeah, not ominous at all."

* * *

_Chapter 4: Thicker than Water (II); The Ties that Bind_

"_Fairy Tail is your family." Makarov told him solemnly "We'll laugh with you, cry with you, fight alongside you and fight to avenge you if the time comes. What more can you ask for?"_

**[A/N]: Yes it's late isn't it? I wanted it out by Sunday but I couldn't decide whether to kill off Elfman, Lissana or neither. In the end I chose the last option though I was swinging for Elfman for a while there… Once again a big thank you to the people who showed how much they like this story by following, favoriting and reviewing. Please show the love this time around too and don't hesitate to ask questions or give critique. And don't mind the ending too much, part 2 should be out by the weekend.**

**Cheers~**

**J. B. Wock**


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